Explore Crete
The hub of central Crete is the capital city, Iráklion, a busy but convenient base for visits to the nearby Minoan palace of Knossos. The area immediately around the city is less touristy than you might expect, mainly because there are few decent beaches of any size on the adjacent coast. To the west, mountains drop straight into the sea virtually all the way to Réthymnon, with just two significant coastal settlements: Ayia Pelayia, and the more attractive Bali. Eastwards, the main resorts are at least 30km away, at Hersónissos and beyond, although there is a string of rather unattractive developments all the way there. Inland, there’s agricultural country, some of the richest on the island, a cluster of Crete’s better vineyards and a series of wealthy villages. To the south lie the sites of Gortys, Phaestos and Ayía Triádha which can all be visited in a day, with a lunchtime swim on the south coast at Mátala or Léndas thrown in.
Read More-
Iráklion
Iráklion
Crete’s biggest city, IRÁKLION (Heraklion) is a hectic place, a maelstrom of bustle, noise and traffic-congested thoroughfares. On the positive side, though, the city does have superb fortifications, a fine market, atmospheric old alleys and some interesting lesser museums. Virtually everything you’re likely to want to see lies within the northeastern corner of the walled city. The most vital thoroughfare, 25-Avgoústou, links the harbour with the commercial city centre. Further up 25-Avgoústou, Kalokerinoú leads down to Haniá Gate and westwards out of the city; straight ahead, Odhós-1821 is a major shopping street, and adjacent Odhós-1866 is given over to the animated street market, perhaps the best on the island. To the left, Dhikeosínis heads for the city’s main square, Platía Eleftherías, paralleled by the pedestrian alley, Dedhálou, lined with many of the city’s swankier fashion stores and the direct link between the two squares.
- Knossos
-
Inland from Iráklion
Inland from Iráklion
Heading south from Knossos, the zone around Arhánes and Péza is one of Crete’s major wine-producing areas. Nearby are some more Minoan sites at Anemospiliá and Vathýpetro, plus a few diverting villages. The main inland route southwest from Iráklion climbs through the mountains before winding down to Áyii Dhéka and the Messará plain. Here on the Messará, all within a 40km range of each other, lie the three major archeological sites of Phaestos, Ayía Triádha and Gortys. Once you get this far south you’re within a short drive of the coastal resorts of Mátala and (accessed via a mountain road) Léndas.
-
East of Iráklion: the package-tour coast
East of Iráklion: the package-tour coast
East of Iráklion, the main package-tour resorts are at least 30km away, at Hersónissos and Mália, although there is a string of rather unattractive developments all the way there; the merest hint of a beach is an excuse to build hotel and apartment complexes. That said, there are one or two highlights amid the dross, which are well worth a visit: the impressive Cretaquarium at Goúrnes, the old villages in the hills behind Hersónissos, and, beyond the clubbing resort of Mália, a fine Minoan palace that will transport you back three and a half millennia.
- Mount Psilorítis
